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Poster: William Tell Date: Oct 21, 2008 7:44am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Yankees still team of last century

I hear you; when you read or listen to some (always BASEBALL I have noticed...interesting) speak of it, as you do, you can appreciate the upside to sports.

I was just coming on a bit strong there; in my heart of hearts I think I just feel uneasy about the level to which we have taken this whole sports biz...

But I can completely immerse myself in a Joy of Mudville poem and appreciate the positives...oh yeah.

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Poster: grendelschoice Date: Oct 21, 2008 7:52am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Yankees still team of last century

Even as I watch sports (baseball & hockey mostly; my 2 favorites) each year with devotion, I always feel a little guilty about it. I do think we as a society put too much emphasis on sports to the detriment of other pursuits (arts especially; science and math proficiency even more in school) and the pressure to win at any cost hurts kids especially. I also don't like the fact that kids are scouted as early as high school in some cases and college athletes are treated like rock stars (until they blow out an ACL and are then discarded like bad meat).

It's a conundrum for sure, but I guess I always come back because what happens "in between the lines" can be so incredible. Also, as Bob Costas so succinctly put it, it's "unscripted drama." At that bases loaded, 2-out moment with the game on the line in the bottom of the 9th...well, anything can happen and it's hard to beat genuine moments like that. (Unless it's the Dead pulling out "Box of Rain" at the end of the first set in Hampton in 1986 after a 14-year absence ;-)